Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. An electronic device, comprising: a window; a display module; a fingerprint sensing layer disposed at a lower part of the window; a touch sensing layer having a specific area disposed between the fingerprint sensing layer and the display module, and a remaining area disposed between the window and the display module; a first circuit board configured to process fingerprint information sensed by the fingerprint sensing layer; a second circuit board configured to process a touch input sensed by the touch sensing layer and the fingerprint sensing layer; a first switch configured to connect sensing electrode lines provided in the fingerprint sensing layer to the first circuit board; a second switch configured to connect sensing electrode lines provided in the fingerprint sensing layer to the second circuit board; a fourth switch configured to connect sensing electrode lines provided in the fingerprint sensing layer to the second circuit board; and a controller configured to turn the second switch on in order to receive the touch input applied to the window and turn the first switch off in a touch sensing mode, and configured to turn the first switch on and turn the second switch off in a fingerprint sensing mode, wherein the fingerprint sensing layer has first lines that overlap in the same direction one of lines of the touch sensing layer, and second lines that do not overlap the one of lines of the touch sensing layer, wherein the first switch and the second switch are configured to connect the first lines, wherein the touch input is sensed based on a touch applied to the specific area in the touch sensing mode, and wherein one end of the second switch is connected to a branched line from the fourth switch so the first lines are grouped to operate as a single sensing line in the touch sensing mode.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a third switch configured to connect part of the first lines of the fingerprint sensing layer to the second circuit board, wherein the controller controls the third switch such that the first lines of the fingerprint sensing layer are disconnected from the second circuit board while the fingerprint information is being acquired.
This invention relates to an electronic device with an improved fingerprint sensing system. The device includes a fingerprint sensing layer with multiple lines for acquiring fingerprint information, a first circuit board connected to the fingerprint sensing layer, and a second circuit board. The device also has a controller and a first switch that connects the first circuit board to the second circuit board. The controller activates the first switch to transfer fingerprint information from the first circuit board to the second circuit board. Additionally, the device includes a second switch that connects part of the lines of the fingerprint sensing layer to the first circuit board. The controller controls the second switch to disconnect these lines from the first circuit board while fingerprint information is being acquired, reducing interference. A third switch connects another part of the lines of the fingerprint sensing layer to the second circuit board. The controller controls the third switch to disconnect these lines from the second circuit board during fingerprint acquisition, further minimizing noise and improving signal integrity. This design ensures efficient data transfer and accurate fingerprint sensing by isolating the sensing layer from the circuit boards during acquisition.
3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensing electrode lines connected to the first and second switches correspond to Rx electrode lines.
4. An electronic device, comprising: a window; a display module; a fingerprint sensing layer disposed at a lower part of the window; a touch sensing layer having a specific area disposed between the fingerprint sensing layer and the display module, and a remaining area disposed between the window and the display module; a first circuit board connected to the fingerprint sensing layer to process fingerprint information; a second circuit board connected to the touch sensing layer to process a touch input; and a controller, wherein the touch sensing layer includes a plurality of Rx electrode lines and a plurality of Tx electrode lines, wherein the fingerprint sensing layer includes a plurality of Tx electrode lines and a plurality of Rx electrode lines, wherein the plurality of Rx electrode lines of the fingerprint sensing layer includes first Rx electrode lines overlapping part of the plurality of Rx electrode lines of the touch sensing layer, and second Rx electrode lines which are remaining electrode lines of the plurality of Rx electrode lines, wherein each of the plurality of Rx electrode lines of the fingerprint sensing layer further includes a switch unit so as to be connected to the first circuit board, and wherein the switch unit includes: a first switch configured to connect a corresponding first Rx electrode line to the first circuit board; a second switch having one end connected to the corresponding first Rx electrode line; and a fourth switch configured to connect another first Rx electrode line that is not connected to the first and second switches, to the first circuit board, wherein one end of the second switch is connected to a branched line from the fourth switch, and wherein the controller controls the switch unit such that the first Rx electrode lines are grouped to operate as a single sensing line, by disconnecting the first Rx electrode lines from the first switch and connecting the first Rx electrode lines to the second switch, while the touch input is being sensed.
5. An electronic device, comprising: a touch screen including a display area for displaying an image, a window disposed above the touch screen, and a controller, wherein the touch screen comprises: a touch sensing layer for receiving a touch input applied to the display area and receiving the touch input at a first sensing resolution; a fingerprint sensing layer overlapping a specific area of the touch sensing layer and disposed between the window and the touch sensing layer, and configured to sense a fingerprint at a second sensing resolution, which is higher than the first sensing resolution, when a finger is touched on the specific area, wherein the touch sensing layer includes a plurality of first and second sensing electrode lines arranged to intersect each other, wherein the fingerprint sensing layer includes a plurality of first and second fingerprint sensing electrode lines arranged to intersect each other, wherein the plurality of second sensing electrode lines and the plurality of second fingerprint sensing electrode lines extend in a same direction, and wherein the plurality of second fingerprint sensing electrode lines include first electrode lines overlapping with one area of one second sensing electrode line, and second electrode lines not overlapping with the second sensing electrode line; a first switch configured to connect the first electrode lines to a circuit board; a second switch configured to connect one end of the second switch to the first electrode lines; and a fourth switch configured to connect sensing electrode lines provided in the fingerprint sensing layer to the second circuit board, wherein one end of the second switch is connected to a branched line from the fourth switch so the first electrode lines are grouped to operate as a single sensing line in the touch sensing mode, wherein the controller controls the fingerprint sensing layer so that the second sensing resolution of the specific area is changed to the first sensing resolution in order to receive a touch input of a finger making contact with the specific area based on a specific control command, and wherein the controller controls the first switch to be disconnected and the second switch to be connected based on the specific control command, so that the second sensing resolution of the specific area is changed to the first sensing resolution by the first electrode lines being grouped to operate as a single sensing line.
6. The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising: a first circuit board connected to the plurality of first switches, and a second circuit board connected to the plurality of second switches.
7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of first switches connects the first electrode lines to the first circuit board so that each of the first electrode lines acquires fingerprint information together with the first fingerprint sensing electrode lines.
8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the switch unit further comprises a third switch configured to disconnect the first sensing electrode lines from the second circuit board while the fingerprint information is being acquired.
9. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of second switches connects the first electrode lines overlapping with the one area of the one second sensing electrode line to the second circuit board so that the first electrode lines operate as a single sensing line to receive a touch input together with the first sensing electrode line.
10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the switch unit further includes a fifth switch connected to the second fingerprint sensing electrode lines excluding the first electrode lines, and wherein the controller controls the fifth switch such that the second electrode lines are disconnected from the first circuit board while the touch input is being received.
11. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of second sensing electrode lines corresponds to Rx electrode lines.
12. The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising a cover glass that includes a connecting portion for transferring an electric field to the fingerprint sensing layer from the touch sensing layer, wherein the fingerprint sensing layer is disposed so as to overlap one area of the touch sensing layer, and the cover glass is formed between the touch sensing layer and the fingerprint sensing layer, and wherein the connecting portion includes a plurality of holes formed in a thickness direction of the cover glass and having a light-transmissive conductive member filled therein.
13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the connecting portion is formed in an area corresponding to part of the electrode lines of the fingerprint sensing layer extending in a same direction as the Rx electrode lines of the touch sensing layer.
14. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the controller switches a mode to a fingerprint sensing mode for acquiring fingerprint information at the second sensing resolution from a touch sensing mode for receiving a touch input corresponding to a specific function at the first sensing resolution based on a specific control command, and wherein the controller acquires fingerprint information without executing the specific function when a touch is applied to the specific area in the fingerprint sensing mode.
15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the controller controls the touch sensing layer such that the touch input applied to a remaining area excluding the specific area of the touch screen is not received in the fingerprint sensing mode.
16. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the specific control command corresponds to execution of a preset application in response to a touch input applied to the touch screen, and wherein the controller acquires fingerprint information through the fingerprint sensing layer when an execution screen of the application is displayed on the touch screen.
17. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the controller executes a different function according to when the touch input is received and when the fingerprint information is acquired based on the touch applied to the touch screen.
Unknown
April 13, 2021
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